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The meeting with Kadare that did not have time to happen
2024-07-08 13:45:21 / IDE
On June 21, I was announced as the winner of the Kadare Prize 2024, and in a conversation after the ceremony, the publisher Henri Çili told me that as was the tradition, we would soon meet with Ismaili...
It didn't have time to happen.
My first meeting with the writer is again in connection with this literary award that bears his name.
Three years ago I applied with a collection of stories, "Bar Sahara", and was selected in the top ten of the Kadare Prize. I took this selection as a good sign and applied a few months later to the KKLL competition for young authors. The winning manuscript would be published.
I had pre-printed the book myself and had several copies at home as I edited the stories from time to time. On one of these days, I was walking on the boulevard when I saw Ismail and Helena Kadare on a bench in the park in front of the Rogner hotel.
For a moment I thought it would be nice if he had a copy of the manuscript of my book that had been with the Kadare Prize. I was with the bike in my hand.
I figured I could make it all the way home, get a copy, and find it on that bench again. That's how it would look and spontaneous, I would say that it was a good omen to apply to the competition that bears his name.
I had often met the writer at Juvenilja, where I went out for lunch during my work break, but I didn't want to bother him. A casual meeting on the street would be more appropriate.
I got on my bike, I guess I rode it fast, took the book home and wrote something like “Thanks for the inspiration” on the back of the cover along with my contact so I wouldn't deprive him of the opportunity to write me his praises. him for this very special book, etc., etc. Rushing back to the boulevard, I spotted the bench.
They definitely weren't, many minutes had passed. I took from the alley of the block adjacent to the park, they were not. No, they were there, but I barely recognized them. I went up to them, apologized politely, told them that I had tried to make it a random meeting, but in fact I had cycled through Tirana to reach them.
I gave him a copy of the book saying something like that with this manuscript I had applied to the competition that bears his name and it was my first book and I had been selected in the top ten and I wished it was a good omen for the future and I would like to give him a copy of the manuscript, etc., etc.
They were kind, Helena thanked me, Ismail smiled saying "Bar Sahara...", it seems he liked the title. There was another lady with them who asked me if I wanted a photo, I told her there was no need, I didn't want to disturb them.
After a week, I received the news from KKLL that I was the winner of the competition and the storybook "Bar Sahara" was published a few months later.
The last name Kadare has really been a good omen for me. Just as his books have been a good omen for all Albanian literature.
I remember the classic example we used to learn at school to illustrate metonymy: "I'm reading Kadare." Albanian literature will always be associated with the last name Kadare, and Albanians will always use the metonym "I am reading Kadareë".
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